When my family comes down with a bad case of cabin fever I have one time tested, tried and true solution. It involves leaving the house, using our brains, and keeping said brains from turning to mush due to overuse of electronic devices.

My solution?

Our local science museum!

I’m serious.

When the kids have been cooped up indoors too long, everyone is fighting, and we’ve done all the board games, lego contest creations and dance off’s we can stand, I know it’s time to pack the kids up and head to the museum.

And listen, every city has one! It may be called a Hands on House or a Please Touch Museum but do yourself a favor, go find your local museum and get a yearly membership. It doesn’t have to be fancy (ours isn’t) and it doesn’t have to be expensive (ours is only $89 for a yearly family membership). You will soon discover that these places are worth their weight in gold.

And here’s another tip. Make all the kids come. Yes, even the 14 and 12 year old. Yes, the 14 and 12 year old think these kiddie museums are far beneath them and their teen/tween coolness but guess what? Mama knows best.

And sure enough, after we arrive at the science museum, my big kids eventually access their inner child and remember that it’s actually still fun to build things and experiment.

Look at the 14 year old boy with his prop plane creation! He's totally into this.

And look at the 12 year old. She's in shorts so this pic proves we even go to the museum on rainy summer days when we can't hit the pool. And yes, she has her phone in her hand but, look at her creative brain at work building a tower! I'm so proud.

Once we've killed a good two hours here, we are ready to return home with our brains newly energized from all the good, old fashioned, hands on fun.

Success! Cabin fever is officially conquered!

At least until tomorrow.